A "New to Me" Chair

After bringing some new life to the previously ugly Thonet chairs and Lane end tables, I headed back to my friend Craig('s list) in search of other budget finds waiting for some TLC.  Today I was one for two in this regard.   There were so many opportunities to rescue old furniture today, between Craig's listings, Randolph Street Market and Design Harvest.

The wish list:

• A new bed/headboard and dresser, that will clear the 54 inch sloped ceilings in the master bedroom.  My current set, which I love, has tall finials on the headboard, and a dresser that reaches my clavicle.   So - future guests, your furniture will be really nice.  Given the gorgeous  kitchen cabinets I scoped today, I need to furnish the bedroom on a budget!  Stay tuned! 

• An upholstered chair for the master bedroom.

Today I scored a big checkmark on the upholstered chair - purchasing a mid-century tufted Thomasville wingback, that, once reupholstered will look gorgeous!  Twenty dollars!  Try and picture it in a white pique, or other white fabric, with grey piping and buttons on the tufts.  Maybe grey legs.  My little SUV is definitely getting a lot of hauling time!

December update:  The $20 Thomasville is no longer Harvest Gold - it is now white canvas, with seersucker trim and buttons.  It is going to look great in the master bedroom - thanks, David & family!

In terms of the bedroom set, my early morning trek to Elmherst was uneventful.  I met a nice family with a terrific dog, but they want to sell a complete set, and I was only interested in the dresser.  So - back to the drawing board - but with three months to sort it out.

I also found a great shop in West Town (Revision Home) that has already fixed up some vintage items, and purchased this end table for the living room - with the grey paint and walnut lacquer top, it looks pretty mod for an old piece:

All in all, a great bargain hunting day out on a beautiful fall day!

Project: Pegboard

Since picking up the keys Friday afternoon, there has been a small whirlwind of activity at The Bungalow - largely concentrated to the garage.

The garage is a shell - solid door, some lighting, but just frame.  Saturday:

• Home depot dropped off 6 sheets of pegboard ($18 a sheet), paint ($10), free-standing shelving and a few tools I picked out last weekend.   I picked up a new mat at Target for $12. 
• A handyman came to put up the pegboard (1 hr, 15 mins: $150 install)...I need to learn to do this myself!  Not only was the handyman's time costly, but he didn't share my love of precise right angles.  
• I painted the pegboard and "pegged" the misc. bits and pieces 

The shelving sits largely empty until I raid the storage unit for the crates I've been storing.  But the pegboard did the trick - getting everything off the floor.  And I got some kudos from my lovely new neighbors. 

Goal for this space:  A bit of flexible organization in the one space in the house that I'll be able to freely access during the renovation.  Ensure that key stuff (rakes, flashlights, brooms, tools, shovel, ladder, etc.) will be accessible and available so I can do the basic maintenance of the home's exterior while interior reno is underway.  

Before:

After:

Feels good to have control over some space in the house!  It was a great 2-hour project. 

I own the Bungalow!

Close was today - after a bit of last minute back-and-forth on documents, I now own The Bungalow.   It's been more than two months since putting in the offer and close.  A few key learnings at this early stage:

1. It's important to find a good buyer's broker/agent:  Kudos to Mary and especially my go-to girl Tawnya McVicker at  MKT Properties @Properties.  From (out of scope) sourcing of the Thonet chairs (that at the time looked like junk) to staying late late on a Friday to work out an offer to micro-managing the close so it occurred on time....Thank you.  Mary and Tawnya knew this Bungalow was meant to be my home before I saw it - and also knew some of the nasty pieces of work we saw earlier weren't going to be a fit, but humored me as I became a more educated consumer.  Tawnya persevered (and held my hand) despite some very not-so-nice negotiations along the way.  As Papa would say: "A Class Act".  Highly recommended.

2. Even not-so-nice negotiations along the way can have a surprise ending:  The sellers proved to also be classy by so throughly cleaning the home, and:

• Putting all the warrantee/operating manuals in a nice plastic box
• Leaving a house-warming orchid and lovely welcoming card on arrival, and a bottle of champagne in the fridge
• Providing me forwarding contact info should I have any questions
• Changing key filters yesterday, and leaving me with enough to last the year

If the reno process is supported in such a way - then I'm in luck!  We're on a good track - and I've already learned a lot through the planning process:

• Architects have GOOD ideas:  Some of the solutions (small primary bath, small footprint for basement bath/basement, need for dedicated laundry space) have been creatively overcome by a knowledgable, creative expert.
• Good architects/GCs have awesome negotiated rates with good suppliers - some of the costings I'd figured on for lighting and bath fixtures based on internet research proved moot.
• But - sometimes what you've self-sourced is the way to go:  e.g. tile.  The premium commanded by the tile shops will be circumvented by similarly sourced materials at a local outlet given my basic requirements. 
• Budget for stuff you didn't think was in scope:  E.g. I thought my bedroom furniture would slot well into place in the existing master - with measurements, I now understand that my love for tall finials on headboards and substantial dressers isn't helping me, here.  Good news: my guests will have really good furniture.  But now I need to find a creative solution to furnishing the master bedroom on a budget - should make for a decent post in the future.

Anyone with interesting "house closing" stories to tell?

Kim

An update: Planning Planning Planning

Getting close to close (T-3 days!)  I've been taking advantage of some major UK jet lag, and starting the days super early  - this weekend, on house stuff, this week, on work – which gave me the liberty of taking a late weekday afternoon drive out to the 'burbs to meet with suppliers and my architect.  

Saturday I spent the morning picking out plumbing fixtures.  I understand from Mary Ann, the uber capable sales rep at Ferguson's, that for many folks, this is a hated chore, but I had the best 3 hours of the week in that place!  We selected a tub, kitchen sink, kitchen faucet, bath faucets, shower nozzles, shower sprays, bath plumbing, a powder room sink, and a washer and dryer.  Big check mark.  Ferguson's was actually my second stop – the other recommended supplier was practicing some serious sales avoidance – I arrived at opening at 9am, and the two folks working (e.g. chatting with one another) were uninterested in helping me without an appointment.  (There were no other customers!)  Before I left, I made sure the saleswoman knew I was there to make selections for three baths and a kitchen – but she made sure I knew that she only talks to customers with appointments.  In the words of Julia Roberts a la Pretty Woman "Big mistake.  Big. Huge."  So, commission check goes to Mary Ann.  And thanks for the Diet Coke and fresh baked cookie – nice touch!

I was less successful with tile – at store A, the sales rep held a Sales Avoidance master's degree.  Ok, on first visit they were busy, so I understood need for appointment.  But when I later returned the store was empty, and I'd called ahead - I found that my interest in pursuing border options for a marble shower was not a shared interest.  (Perhaps there were ghost customers I couldn't see.) Anyway, I collected some samples and moved along to tile store B – where I knew I was in trouble when I had to explain what 2 inch marble hex was, let alone then the 10 minute scurry to see if any was around.  The highlight of the visit to store B was running into my good friend C - and later enjoying a soda and reno recap at her beautifully remodeled vintage home. 

The moral of this story:  stick with what you've found that's good.  I have really enjoyed shopping my local tile outlet, where I can peruse a large showroom at all hours of the morning and evening, move things around to see how they fit together, and then cart away loads of samples to play with at home (at this point I could start a showroom on my patio!).  And the prices are 1/3 to 1/5 what I was seeing for "comparable" products in the other showrooms.  I use the quotes around "comparable" because I appreciate there may be a quality differential between my generic ($6-12/sq foot) and the other showroom's name brand goods ($15-40/sq foot) - even though they look identical.  Utilizing the outlet supply will allow me to afford marble where otherwise I'd be in much more basic ceramic/porcelain territory.   So – the outlet wins, and my architect/GC is fine with sourcing there.

Which brings me to today's meeting with E – the architect/GC.  Off to a good start in terms of draft plans, we were able to talk through the details today, in the company of Frieda, the coolest dog on Earth.  I know he's terribly busy, but he had lots of time for my first-time reno questions and naïve challenges (e.g. What do you mean my $4/sq foot tile is actually $15-17/sq foot installed? – more on that later, but hint:  the basement will now be carpeted, and shocker - wood is less expensive than porcelain tile when install costs are factored.)   We nailed down preferred door, stairwell, and bathroom layout issues.  Sub-contractor walk through is scheduled for next week, after which I can see whether I've blown the budget and need to cut back, or we can proceed with what is a great plan.  I'm really looking forward to meeting the guys that will be working on my home!

As mentioned – close is on Friday.  I'm toying with the idea of camping at the house this weekend so I can really understand how it works.  Saturday I have a big delivery from Home Depot arriving which I'll document separately:  Hello, garage organization!   (And then off to select lighting, which will be fun, fun, fun as my Arch/GC has a negotiated discount at my fav lighting store in the city.)   Friday evening post-close a woman is swinging by to look at all that needs to "go":  tub, vanity, current lighting, some cabinets, washer/dryer, all light fixtures, powder room sink, toilets, mirrors, doors, etc.  She runs a company that sells these unwanted items to folks that want them – and removes them in the process, saving on demo costs (and putting a little $ in the guest bedroom furniture fund).  Here's hoping she wants to sell what she sees!  (I'll circle back to you all on this one!)